A giant stone structure has been discovered beneath the Sea of Galilee.
The cone-shaped structure has a height of 32 feet and a diameter of around 230 feet, making it about twice the diameter of Stonehenge's outer circle. It is made of "unhewn basalt cobbles and boulders" and weighs about 60,000 tons.
Structures such as the one found under the Sea of Galilee have been found throughout the world and often mark burial sites; however it is unknown if this particular structure was used for that purpose.
"Close inspection by scuba diving revealed that the structure is made of basalt boulders up to 1 meter long with no apparent construction pattern," the researchers' article states. "The boulders have natural faces with no signs of cutting or chiseling. Similarly, we did not find any sign of arrangement or walls that delineate this structure."
The researchers believe that the structure was man-made and likely sunk beneath the surface of the Sea of Galilee after its construction over 4,000 years ago.
"The shape and composition of the submerged structure does not resemble any natural feature," the article states. "We therefore conclude that it is man-made and might be termed a cairn."
Such an undertaking would have required a sophisticated and highly organized society with economic resources and planning ability. Accordingly, if the structure was indeed man-made, then it could be associated with the ancient city Bet Yerah, also known as Khirbet Kerak. Bet Yerah, which was located about a mile south of the site, was "the most powerful and fortified town in this region, and, as a matter of fact, in the whole of Israel," Israel Antiquities Authority researcher Yitzhak Paz told Live Science.
Underwater archaeological excavation will be required before scientists can accurately pinpoint the structure's purpose and date. According to Paz, the Israel Antiquities Authority has a research branch capable of this task.
"We will try to do it in the near future, I hope, but it depends on a lot of factors," he said.
